“Charmed, I’m sure,” he said, and stepped out from behind the curtain.

“Yes, indeed I am charmed, I’m absolutely certain, my dear.” He bowed stifly. “To what do I owe the honor of this occasion?”

Miriam turned around and flipped the sign in the door to 4, then shot the bolt. She moved deeper into the shop. “You got my letter?”

“It was most welcome.” Burgeson nodded. “The fact of its existence, if not its content, I should say. But thank you, anyway.”

“I don’t think we were observed,” Miriam stated, “but I think we’d better leave by the cellar.”

“You trust her?” Burgeson raised an eyebrow.

“Implicitly.” Miriam met his eyes. “Olga is one of my business associates. And my bodyguard. Show him, Olga.”

Olga made her pistol appear. Burgeson’s other eyebrow rose. She made it disappear again. “Hmm,” said Burgeson. “A fine pair of Amazon women!” He smiled faintly. “Nevertheless, I hope you don’t need to use that. It’s my experience that however many guns you bring to a fight, the Crown can always bring more. The trick is to avoid needing them in the first place.”

“This is your agent?” Olga asked Miriam, with interest.

“Yes, exactly.” Miriam turned to Burgeson. “I brought her here because I think it may be impossible for me to visit in person in the future. In particular, I wanted to introduce her to you as an alternative contact against the time when we need to be publicly seen in different places at the same time. If you follow.”

“I see.” Burgeson nodded. “Most prudent. Was there anything else?”

“Yes. The consignment we discussed has arrived. If you let us know where and how you want it, I’ll see it gets to you.”

“It’s rather, ah, large.” Burgeson looked grim. “You know we have a lot of use for it, but it’s hard to make the money flow so freely without being overseen.”

“That would be bad,” Miriam agreed. Olga looked away, then drifted toward the other side of the shop and began rooting through the hanging clothes, keeping one ear on the conversation. “But I can give you a discount for bulk: say, another fifteen percent. Think of it as a contribution to the cause, if you want.”

“If I want.” Burgeson chuckled humorlessly: It tailed off in a hoarse croak. “They hanged Oscar yesterday, did you hear?”

“Oscar?”

“The free librarian who fenced me the Marx you purchased. Two days before Inspector Smith searched my domicile.”

“Oh dear.” Miriam was silent for a moment. Olga pulled an outfit out to examine it more closely.